Why Kellogg's MorningStar Farms is going 100% plant based

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As the plant-based trend spreads, Kellogg is using its MorningStar Farms business to move forward as a leader in the space.

At Natural Products Expo West last week, the legacy veggie protein brandlaunched a new vegan "Cheezeburger" and announced its commitment for its portfolio to be 100% vegan by 2021.

The new promise will allow Kellogg to expand the accessibility of its plant-based products and reduce its use of more than 300 million egg whites a year. MorningStar Farms' full product line includes Falafel, Meat Lovers, Veggie Lovers and Tex-Mex burgers as well as Chik'n nuggets and patties. But they aren’t stopping there.

Melissa Cash, head of global marketing,strategy and innovation for plant-based protein and natural brands at Kellogg, talked to Food Dive at Expo West about how the brand plans to launch more plant-based products in the coming years, why they chose this new vegan burger and how more consumers are shifting their tastes to plant-based products.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

FOOD DIVE: Can you start by telling me about the new burger?

MELISSA CASH: It is a vegan cheeseburger. It's a quarter pound. I always tell people it's like imagining a Juicy Lucy [burger], but all vegan. So there's cheese incorporated in it. It's got 23 grams of protein, and for us it's really exciting because it's 100% vegan. And ... that is part of our bigger announcement that we're going to be moving to 100% plant based by 2021. And I think for us it's just the next step in that journey.

Melissa Cash

Why did you decide to launch this burger?

CASH:We've been talking a lot within the space. ...If you actually look at the store shelves, there's a lot of burgers now. ... One of the things that we've talked a lot about is how do we make sure that we're giving an experience that feels like it's something that's unique to the category. And for consumers, also in line with what they're looking for.

The idea of moving to a plant-based diet often feels like it means I'm going to be eating kale and, you know, things that aren't as delicious. So we really wanted to provide something that's both healthy andjust, like, really ooey-gooey-grubbin' delicious.And so what's betterthan that kind of burger that if you break it open, you watch the cheese kind of peel apart?

...And then what we know about the role of burger is that often it's kind of your gateway into eating plant based. So if we provide something that's super indulgent and delicious, but you also know it's 100% plant based and you can feel good about it.It felt like such a win-win for us and for the category.

"What we know about the role of burger is that often it's kind of your gateway into eating plant based. So if we provide something that's super indulgent and delicious, but you also know it's 100% plant based and you can feel good about it. It felt like such a win-win for us and for the category."

Melissa Cash

Head of global marketing, strategy and innovation for plant-based protein and natural brands at Kellogg

Who are you trying to reach with this burger?

CASH: For us, our hope is that because it is something that provides that just super-delicious experience, that it allows us to take those who keep talking plant curious, or veggie or vegan curious and [it] gives them a reason to say, 'Oh, well, that looks like something I can try.' We talk a lot at MorningStar Farms about intention and action within this space because a lot of people say they want to eat less meat or eat more plant based, and far less actually do.

Being a brand that's been around so long, having the scale we do in places like Walmart, where it's really easy to find us, and then delivering products that make it even easier to get from intention to action is something that we take really seriously. And I think we believe a burger like this just makes it even easier. ...It looks even more like something that I would've had when I was in my previous meat world. So I think for us, it lets us move people along into hopefully just a little bit more plant [based eating].

I don't think that for us we're saying it's going to convert people into veganism. I think for us it's more about those that are flexing, those that might already be, or those that are just curious and want to try.

A lot of talk at Expo West has been about making plant-based and organic food accessible to more people. How are you doing that with MorningStar Farms?

CASH: When people ask what's the benefit or what it's like being part of a larger company, like Kellogg, I think ... it allows us to drive to accessibility. Because of the national availability of our products, it means that wherever you are, you should be able to find not just one, but a handful of our products so that it makes it incredibly easy to have access to delicious plant-based eating.

MorningStar Farms

Are you planning any other innovations?

CASH: Yeah, we have a pipeline of products. So we usually try to think about pacing innovation so that we give time for new products to sort of sit in the market. And then so as we think about 2020 and even the back end of 2019 we have some new products coming that I would say equally deliver on that same kind of delicious and indulgent food that sits within the plant based proteins set. Last year, we launched two vegan burgers in the front half of the year and then we came out with some chorizo crumbles after that, so you could assume the same kind of pacing as we go forward.

MorningStar Farms has been owned by Kellogg for 20 years. How do you think the brand has grown under Kellogg?

CASH: It's a really nice brand to have at Kellogg because in some ways on the surface it looks like it's very different than the rest of what we do. But ... I've heard it called the gem of the company quite a bit because I think ... they really see that plant is the future and it's so aligned... with what W.K. [Kellogg, the founder] and the company stand for, that I think for us it's really thought of as an accelerator and a place that the brand is really proud to play.

How do you think that the plant-based sector has changed in recent years?

CASH: The brand's been around for about 40 [years]. And I think about the first 10 to 15 years that we (Kellogg) had MorningStar Farms, the category looked incredibly different. ... In the first 10 years we had the business, I think the category [year-over-year] growth was like 1 or 2%. You look at the growth now over the last five years and it's high single digit to low double digit growth for the category.

And so for us, what that says is there's more demand in the marketplace. ...I think the notion of eating more plant based becoming mainstream has enabled so much more choice, incredible product quality and then hopefully ... just more people being open to eating more plant more often.

"In the first 10 years we had the business, I think the category growth was like 1 or 2%. You look at the growth now over the last five years and it's high single digit to low double digit growth for the category."

Melissa Cash

Head of global marketing, strategy and innovation for plant-based protein and natural brands at Kellogg

A lot of companies are thinking that way now and more of Big Food is getting into plant-based products. How do you think that increase in competition has affected your business?

CASH: In a lot of categories, we talk about competition and ... it's negative. I think in this case, we are huge believers that eating more plant is better for you and better for the world. And so competition for us, if they're out thumping the same kind of conversation around why it's easy to eat more plant based ...I honestly believe, and I think our brand believes, that it helps all of us. The more people that come in, when you think about that intention to action, I think benefits both the whole category and benefits, frankly, people and the world.

MorningStar Farms also made the goal to be 100% plant based by 2021. Why did you decide to make that big commitment?

CASH: When we think about our goals and where renovation comes in, we've got a lot of consumers that have counted on MorningStar Farms for a long time. And as much as I think we've seen the opportunity to go 100% plant based for a while, we wanted to make sure that we can do it without compromising the taste that consumers expect, the level of protein that they want. And something that's often missed is the texture of the products that we deliver.

So over the last couple of years, we've been able to launch more vegan items via innovation into the market. And then last year, we took our Chik'n portfolio, our nuggets and patties, to 100% plant based. And for us, I think it really gave us the confidence that we can do it without sacrificing on those three things that I mentioned before [taste, protein and texture].And that's what we really wanted. We wanted to make sure that we were making a promise that we could deliver on.

"We wanted to make sure that we were making a promise that we could deliver on."

Melissa Cash

Head of global marketing, strategy and innovation for plant-based protein and natural brands at Kellogg

How do you think the plant-based sector is going to grow in the coming years?

CASH: We're hopeful that we're going to start to see more people that are curious and coming into the category. That with all the wonderful choice that's out there across the aisle, that retailers are starting to see the opportunity. They are expanding sets, which is fantastic. And that really over the next couple of years, we're going to see more and more people coming in and then kind of being on their journey to eating more plant based.

What are your goals and growth expectations for Kellogg this year?

CASH: I think '19 is going to be a really positive year from a growth standpoint. The company and our brand is really leaning in and making sure that we're taking our responsibility as America's number one veggie burger brand seriously. And that we want to make sure we're both continuing to deliver the products that we have that we know satisfy people and making sure that they're available where they want them, but also that Cheezeburger and our other innovation is bringing this sort of the new and exciting stuff that they're looking for.